North Korea sent about 150 laborers to Jilin province, China, in early October in defiance of U.N. sanctions that prohibit sending workers overseas. Most of the workers, who passed through Hyesan’s customs house on Oct. 5, were young people in their 20s and 30s who had passed rigorous physical and ideological screening.
According to a source in Ryanggang province recently, the workers had been on standby after their screening was completed in May. The laborers were supposed to be sent to China in early May, but have had to wait until now after their departure was delayed three times.
Daily NK was unable to find out why their departure was delayed three times, but the recent estrangement of relations between North Korea and China as Pyongyang and Moscow grow closer appears to have affected their schedule.
North Korean authorities repeatedly told the workers who had passed the final inspection to wait, without giving them a specific explanation for the delays. As a result, workers who thought they were headed to China were anxious.
“In North Korea, it’s a big deal – even a celebration – to go abroad, and people envy you, even if it’s only to China,” the source said. “Also, you can make money abroad, unlike in North Korea, where you take almost nothing home even if you go to work.”
In addition, many young North Koreans in their 20s and 30s now want to go overseas because they dislike weekly self-criticism sessions, study sessions and lectures, and such duties are less demanding abroad, the source added.
“When the workers were first selected, they were very happy, but then they became quite upset as their departure was repeatedly delayed for several months at a time for reasons unknown to them,” the source said. “They could not contain their joy at finally leaving this time.”
“It’s like a dream,” said one young person part of the group ultimately sent into China. “Although it would have been better if it was for travel, I couldn’t sleep for several days because I was so excited to be able to go to another country for the first time in my life, even if it was for work. I don’t know how much I’ll earn in a month, but I like the fact that I can accumulate a large sum over three years.”
The source told Daily NK that “the workers who go this time will probably be able to earn about 20,000 Chinese yuan (around $2,740) when they return in three years. In North Korea, you can’t really make money without starting capital, so most of the young people going this time plan to put together starting capital in China to do business when they return.”
The exact location and nature of their work in China remains unclear.
Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.
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November 01, 2024 at 02:15PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)